On a rainy night last April, Connor and I were driving around Stevens Point, talking of nothing and de-stressing from a long week. We were silent for a moment, then Connor turned his head toward me and said, "This is going to sound crazy, and it's okay if you need to think about it for a while or don't want to do it.... do you want to build a cabin with me after we graduate? I know of some land that we can build on in South Dakota... we can have a garden, and maybe raise chickens, and live off the grid like we've talked about. It would only be for a short while... a time for us to teach ourselves how to live sustainably." I was silent a long time, thinking it through. He was right, it was crazy. But the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea. And it was the perfect time - right after graduation and before our first post-grad jobs. We needed a little crazy.
Our reasons behind this venture are simple. We've talked about wanting to provide our own food, light, and heat, living healthier and less wasteful, and spending less time in front of screens and more time with nature and each other. As students we felt limited to pursue all of these ideals. This is a unique opportunity to live with the land, watch our chickens and garden grow, and be aware of the changes of nature. Our relationship will be tested and strengthened in more ways than we can imagine. We are not certain our plans will turn out the way we've dreamed them, but with a positive attitude this will be a learning experience no matter the end result.
It is early January and a light blanket of snow has covered the Chicago area. Our adventure begins one month from now and will not end until our wedding in late September, but the planning began months ago. After watching hours of youtube videos and reading articles about tiny homes, Claire has created our custom tiny home (8' by 20') using SketchUp. Books on gardening, foraging wild plants, tracking, construction, aquaponics, and living sustainably have been gifted to us by friends and family. We have browsed through seed catalogues and picked out flowers, vegetables, herbs, and tubers. Scrap wood has been collected for a chicken coop and we have selected our favorite breeds. Around late January - February, we'll move to a small cabin on the land in South Dakota, living there until winter has passed and as we build our tiny home.
This blog is for us to document our activities, challenges, and successes, and for our family and friends to follow us along the way. Please feel free to comment and offer suggestions as you see fit. Welcome to the Prairie!
 |
| South Dakota in August |
